Tour of Duty question (1 Viewer)

I picked up season 1 of Tour of Duty yesterday and popped in two of the discs briefly to check them out. When I watched the show originally in the 80's, I remember the the song Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones playing during the opening credits. The DVDs do not have this song playing and instead have the music from the closing credits and what appears to be a different opening sequence entirely (if I remember correctly).

My question is, was Paint it Black the opening music for the entire run of the show when it originally aired or did it maybe appear during the second season? If so, I guess the song was too expensive to license for the DVD release. I still love the show but I sure miss hearing Paint it Black before the show starts.

IIRC, they got rid of it for syndication as well (Too expensive to license.)

They got rid of a LOT of classic rock tunes on that show for that reason. :frowning:

I did a bit of research and it would appear that all of the original music has been stripped out of this DVD release. If I would have known that beforehand, I probably would have passed on buying this DVD set. It just isn't quite the same watching the show without the orginal music intact. The soundtrack played a big role in setting the mood and tone of the show and it will be sorely missed.

Now if I could only find a listing of what music appeared in each show (and maybe even where it appeared in each show), I could just cue up the CDs and pretend the music is still there.

Thanks for letting us know Todd.
That's disappointing and I will not be buying it now specifically due to that.

It saddens me because they will view the poor sales as a reason to not release more sets, not as a customer reaction to a poor decision in the initial release.

You are right, the music was absolutely critical to the show.

The History Channel up here in Canada shows Tour of Duty all the time, all the original music is intact and it has the normal opening with Paint it Black.

Thanks for saving me the $...too bad, I really wanted this oen.

Guess I'll be buying the A-Team instead.

Damn, no sale for me then either. I was really looking forward to getting this set too. And to think that I picked up my first Rolling Stones collection because of hearing "Paint It Black" on this show.

Thanks for the info...

NO Music = NO Sale

It is a real shame that the music is gone. I was wondering about that before I bought it but I couldn't find any reviews. I guess I found out the hard way but at least it was only $40. I would have gladly paid $60, $80, or even $100 for the set if the orginal music was used.

Tour of Duty and Miami Vice had one thing in common. They both used music to assist in effectively creating a particular atmosphere. I could not even imagine Miami Vice without the original songs (although the old VHS copy of the pilot that I have has some music rescored). Tour of Duty is still a fantastic show but it just isn't the same without the original music.

You have no idea how close I was to buying this today!!! Thanks for the info, and thanks for saving me the cash.

I bought this today before I found out the original music was MIA. I have not opened the set so I can return it but I really enjoyed this series when it was originally aired. Can someone who has bought this and opened it let me know how much the new music takes away from the spirit of the show and also how is the video quality? Thanks.....

Wasn't it China Beach that used "Paint it Black" as their theme song?

That was so long ago that my memory may be playing tricks on me. I do remember hearing "Paint it Black" during one of them, but I don't think I ever watched Tour of Duty at all but did see one or two of China Beach....

Larry

China Beach used a Supremes song, don't know the title, but I remember the catchline went "reflections of..." something.

Sigh. I pre-ordered Tour of Duty, and it arrived today. Oh well, I'll watch/keep it anyway, but I'll have to see how I feel once I'm through whether to get the next season, assuming they even release it.

Interesting that in Canada it's screened intact. Perhaps non-US releases, if there ever are any, might be "complete"? Let's keep a look-out for those.

This is an interesting situation. On one hand, we have Northern Exposure with original music, but at a high price point (I'm willing to assume that music rights are a factor in the high price). On the other hand, we have Tour of Duty at a "more reasonable" price, but without original music. Can we really afford to complain about price in this situation? If they listen to us complain about price, I'm afraid we'll end up with more sets like Tour of Duty.

I haven't seen a single Canadian copy of Tour of Duty. I had to order mine from Amazon.ca and it was listed as an import. As far as the original music goes, I suspected a long time ago that we wouldn't be able to get it. To me, the main attraction is the show itself. Original music or even the original theme would have made this a better set, but I’m still satisfied. I too, would pay $80-$100 if the music was included. Unfortunately this title just doesn't have the sales to warrant licensing all those expensive songs I guess. The newly added music DOES take away from the show, but it's still an effective and entertaining program nonetheless. The video quality is average but still better than the History Channel versions I see on TV (prob. because they're on old worn out tapes).

'Reflections' (1967) by the Supremes was on China Beach.
That really sucks about the music for Tour of Duty. What a bunch of idiots. I hope at least some of you will email them and let them know we are doing everything we can to slow their sales down.

Glenn

Here's a buisness idear. Release season 2 for $80 w/ original music and include a voucher to send in your season 1 discs and have them replaced. This way, Season 2 sets would sell at the higher price, and season 1 owners dont get screwed for music. (really, how hard is it to change an audio track?) Plus this would make season 2 a hot seller with fans as well.

According to the fan site HUM-90, "Tour of Duty" has been licensed by Fox to a Company "Fabulous Films Ltd" for a UK release with the original music, including the theme song "Paint it Black" by the Stones!! Awesome news and can't wait to get my hands on it!! It will also feature a "Tour of Duty" documentary shot just last month, Season 1 release date according to Amazon is Dec 31. : Cheers Chris

i don't remember tour of duty using the song paint it black. i remember the song running at the end of full metal jacket.